The Life Word includes some of my thoughts, along with writings ancient and modern I find interesting. I trust you'll find these thoughts helpful and encouraging.

05 April 2005

Sermon notes for Following Jesus

Following Jesus, John 21

Submission (recognize who He is/doing what he says) John 20:28 and Thomas

►Recognizing who Jesus is—Lord and God

Thomas’s response forms the high point of confession in the Gospel. What it does is bring the Gospel full circle from the Prologue, where it is emphatically said that the “Word was God” (1:1) to this confession, “My Lord and my God.”

In writing his Gospel, John emphasized these claims about Jesus:

He created all things (1:2)The Word who is God became incarnate (1:14)He is the Lamb of God who takes sin away (1:29, 36)He is the Messiah (1:41; 4:25–26)He is the Son of God (1:48)He is the King of Israel (1:48)He is the new Temple (2:19–21)He is a teacher sent from God (3:2)He is the evidence of the love of God (3:16)He is the Savior of the World (4:42)He is equal with God (5:18)He carries authority in judgment (5:27)He is the fulfillment of Scripture (5:39)He is the expected prophet (6:14)He is the “I am” (6:35, etc.)He supplies living water (7:38)He is the one who was from God (9:31–33)He is Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man (9:35)He is the Holy One (10:36)He is the glorified one (13:31)He prepares His followers’ destiny (14:2)He is the basis for the fruitfulness of his followers (15:5–7)He is the One who send the Spirit (15:26)He is the bearer of truth (18:37)He is the crucified King (19:15)

John’s claims are meant to press us all to make the same confession Thomas offered to Jesus—You are my risen Lord and God.

►Offer your personal allegiance to His position and person—MY Lord, MY God

This confession epitomizes the highest declaration Christians could make concerning Jesus and brought them into a direct challenge with their contemporaries.